Investor Optimism Improves As Dow Settles Slightly Higher

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed slight improvement in overall market sentiment among US investors.

US stocks closed mixed on Wednesday with the Nasdaq settling lower for the second straight session as investors assessed the latest corporate earnings.

Microsoft Corporation MSFT shares edged lower on Wednesday after the company reported worse-than-expected Q2 sales results.

The Dow closed higher by around 10 points to 33,743.84 on Wednesday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.02% to 4,016.22, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.18% to settle at 11,313.36 in the session.

Investors are awaiting earnings results from Mastercard Incorporated MA, Intel Corporation INTC and Visa Inc. V today.

At a current reading of 64.0, the index remained in the "Greed" zone, compared to a previous reading of 63.0.

What is CNN Business Fear & Greed Index?

The Fear & Greed Index is a measure of the current market sentiment. It is based on the premise that higher fear exerts pressure on stock prices, while higher greed has the opposite effect. The index is calculated based on seven equal-weighted indicators. The index ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 represents maximum fear and 100 signals maximum greediness.

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